In the design of illuminated clothing it is desirable that the clothing remain flexible and pliable. Flexibility is the key to clothing being comfortable and having a natural drape. Previous methods for connecting a battery to illuminate an article of clothing have required the use of plastic or some other hard material to store the battery inside the article of clothing. The hard battery packs created unwanted bulges in the clothing, interfering with the desired natural drape. The hard packs also added weight to the clothing above that added by the batteries themselves.
Additionally, previous battery packs were attached to the illuminating circuitry using ordinary wires or soldered connections. These wires also adversely effected the natural drape of the clothing, and added extra weight to the devices. These hard packs and wires also presented a barrier to successful washing of the illuminated clothing.